Ratchet and Clank: Bounty Hunter
by Saij McCloud
Summary: Our favorite Lombax has been targeted for assassination. Now the teenage bounty hunter, Soara, will stop at nothing to claim the bounty on Ratchet's head. But, what will happen when he, Clank and Soara are stuck together on a planet filled with pirates? Will Soara help Ratchet and Clank, or will she use them to get off this deadly planet, and claim her reward?
1. Chapter 1

In case any of you are wondering how to pronounce Soara's name, it is so-are-ah, because a lot of people call her Soar-ah, and that drives me nuts! Well, enough said. let's begin the story.

Chapter I:  
Planet Kerwan, the bustling city of Metropolis makes Manhattan New York look like Centennial Wyoming. The usual abundance of hover cars and space ships filled the skies high and low. At the bottom of this vast city were two of the Solana Galaxy's greatest heroes, Ratchet the Lombax, and his robot sidekick, and best friend, Clank. The two friends were busily making repairs on their space-fighter, the Starship Aphelion, which had recently been damaged in battle.

"Almost done there." Ratchet was saying, as he tinkered around under Aphelion's hood. There was a small trail of smoke issuing from the engine. "Just need to adjust the- there!" Ratchet's head emerged from under the hood and he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Now that's out of the way, what else is on the list, pal?" Clank checked his electronic check-list, and marked off "Weld shut crack in engine" with his finger. Then read aloud for Ratchet to hear "Change out the oil. Then refuel gas tank"  
"Alrighty then." Said Ratchet, using his stool to step down from Aphelion. He then grabbed a jack, cranked it underneath Aphelion, then slid under it himself.

On top of a roof, not far from Ratchet and Clank, a young girl was in a crouched position. She was staring through a pair of binoculars at the the two, a sinister smile on her pale face. She lowered the binoculars to reveal bright violet eyes with cat-slit pupils. "Finally." She said to no one in particular. "The Galaxy's last remaining Lombax. I have found him at last. And soon there will be none.

"The navigational unite is destroyed too, Ratchet." Said Clank, looking down at his pad. "I believe it will need to be replaced."  
"How about giving me some good news, for once?" Said Ratchet in an aggravated voice, still underneath Aphelion.  
"Well, um." Said Clank. "The windshield wipers appear to still be functional."  
"Great." Ratchet mumbled sarcastically. "Hand me my wrench, will ya?" Clank obliged, handing Ratchet his omniwrench 8000. "Thanks, pal." Said Ratchet, taking the wrench, and disappearing under the ship again. "So, if anyone chucks slime balls at us, we'll be prepared." Ratchet was grunting under the ship as he attempted to loosen a bolt. "Well, um. Yes." Clank agreed. "I believe so."  
"Great." Ratchet repeated. "So next time-" There was a loud bang, and a dark cloud of smoke issued from under Aphelion. Ratchet emerged coughing and sputtering, waving his hand in front of his face in an attempt to fan away the smoke. "Well that's just great!" said Ratchet angrily, throwing his wrench in Clank's direction, who ducked just in time. "That's just more work for us now!"

When Ratchet came up from under the ship, the teenage girl crouching on the roof set her binoculars down, quickly tied her dark blood-red hair in a tail behind her head, and then reached for a sniper rifle laying next to her. "It's about time." she said, still speaking to herself. She aimed the rifle, looking through her scope, she aimed the laser pointer directly at Ratchet's head. "You're mine now!" She said, preparing to squeeze the trigger.

Ratchet dusted himself off, he was now in an irritable mood. "Clank, make a note." He said. "Never use  
an omniwrench to remove a bolt smaller than ten centimeters." As Clank made to enter this into his pad, Ratchet noticed a small red dot on his shoulder. As it moved up towards his head, he noticed the girl on top of the rooftop, her rifle pointing in his direction. Then it dawned on him what was about to happen. "GET DOWN!" He shouted, diving at Clank, knocking him down just in time. With a loud bang, a shot fired from the rifle, hitting right where Ratchet was standing, who was now using himself as a shield for Clank. As the girl aimed again, Ratchet grabbed Clank, and ran behind Aphelion.

Throwing her rifle aside, the girl dove head-first off of the building, flipped herself around so she was now upright, then rammed her elbow into the gravity pack strapped to her back to activate it. She then floated gracefully towards Ratchet, then when she was only a few feet away, rammed her elbow into her pack again to deactivate it, and landed gently on her feet. "Come on out, Lombax!" She shouted. "Face your death with dignity!" Ratchet reached over and grabbed his omniwrench, which laid abandoned a few feet from where he and Clank were crouching, and clutched it tight, prepared to bash anyone who would dare appear from the other side of the ship. "Come on, Lombax!" The girl shouted. "What would the other Lombaxes think if they saw you cowering like this?! Pathetic!" Ratchet was hit by a wave of rage. She was right. He WAS shaming the Lombaxes for hiding behind a busted old ship like a coward. He got to his feet. "Ratchet!" Clank whispered. "What are you doing?!"  
"You wait here!" Ratchet told Clank, as he walked to the other side of the ship. "She will kill you, Ratchet!" Clank whispered urgently. "Ratchet! Ratchet!"

But Ratchet ignored him. With his omniwrench in one hand he walked and faced the teenage girl, who grinned maliciously at him. "Now, that is more like it!" she jeered. Ratchet glared at her. "Just who do you think you are?!" He shouted at her. The girl's smile widened. "My name is Soara." She took a blaster pistol from a case strapped to her belt and pointed it at Ratchet. "But all will remember me as "The one who brought about the end of the Galaxy's last remaining Lombax." But then Clank, who, unknown by both Ratchet and Soara, had crept out from the opposite side of Aphelion, and lunged at Soara, shoving the hand with her pistol away from Ratchet. Soara fired her pistol, and the blaster fire shot into the air like a missile. "GET OFF OF ME, YOU LITTLE FREAK!" Soara screamed, struggling to get Clank off of her. As Clank continued to cling onto Soara, punching and kicking as hard as the small robot could, Soara lost grip of her blaster, which flew through the air. Ratchet ducked before the blaster could hit him, then continued his thunder-stricken gaze at the struggle. Soara was then successful at removing Clank from her. She had grabbed a hold of him and then, with a grunt, threw Clank, who landed with a loud crash a few feet away. Soara didn't have a chance to catch her breath, for at that moment, there was a roar of rage from Ratchet who ran at Soara, preparing to swing his omniwrench at her. Seeing Ratchet coming, Soara unsheathed the sword, strapped on the opposite of where her pistol was, and used it to block Ratchet's wrench. "No one does that to my pal, and gets away with it!" Ratchet shouted, preparing to strike again. "You hear me?! NO ONE!" He swung at Soara again, who smacked the wrench away, then flipped the switch on the hilt of her sword. Electrical blue currents started dancing around the blade of the sword, which was now giving a loud humming noise. She swung the electro-sword at Ratchet, who blocked it. When the sword and wrench collided, there was a flash of electricity that sparked around the two. Another clash. Another flash. The battle between Ratchet and Soara was a terrifying sight. Clank, who had been watching since Soara had thrown him, watched the two attempting to strike the other, both with extreme anger in their eyes. Ratchet struck first. His omniwrench collided with one of Soara's ribs, who shouted and stepped back, clutching her rib. Both she and Ratchet were breathing heavily, hands on thighs. "You- win- this time- Lombax." Said Soara, huffing and puffing. She stood up straight and reached inside her pocket. "But remember this; Soara will rid the Galaxy of the final Lombax." Pulling her hand out of her pocket, she threw a small ball onto the ground in front of her. It popped, creating a smoke cloud, which, when faded, revealed Soara had vanished.

Ratchet, dropping is Omniwrench, ran over to aid Clank. "Clank. Are you alright?! You don't look so good!" He knelt down next to Clank, who looked a mess. His right arm was broken at the joint, his antenna was bent, there was a small dent in his head, and his left eye was cracked. "I will live." said Clank, holding his arm. "But I will not be of much use in this condition." Ratchet pulled him to his feet with Clank's good arm. "We should get you fixed up before we do anything else. " He said. In unsent, the two looked at the spot where Soara vanished. "Who was that girl?" Asked Clank. "I'm not sure." Said Ratchet in an uneasy voice. "But she was a really good fighter. I don't exactly want to come across her again.

Soara jumped into the cockpit of her she ship that she had arrived on Kerwan in, about a mile away from where she had come across Ratchet and Clank. Before turning it on to take off, she turned on her communication beacon and said through her headset. "Soara to Home base. Come in, over." Not a minute had past when another voice answer through her headset. "Captain Telther here. Have you succeeded in eliminating the Lombax, Soara?"  
"There were complications, Sir." Soara answered through the headset. "The Lombax still lives. But I will-"  
"WHAT?!" Telther shouted so Soara cringed as the loud voice filled her pointy ear. "It still lives?! How could you let him elude you?!"  
"It wasn't my fault!" Soara shouted angrily. "He is a really good fighter. Plus he has a CRAZY robot bodyguard."  
"I don't want excuses!" Telther shouted. "I want that Lombax's head! We were promised a fortune by Tachyon supporters to eliminate him!"  
"I don't need a reminder!" Said Soara. "I was there. I will get him. I just need more time."  
"You had better, Soara." Said Telther. "Do not fail me again. Telther out." There was a clicking sound as Telther hung up. With a roar of rage, Soara pulled off her headset and threw it out of the ship where it landed a few feet away and shattered. Soara then covered her pale face in her hands, and was quiet.

_If you like this so far, don't forget to comment._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II:

Back at their apartment, Clank was sitting on a table while Ratchet was repairing his injuries. Ratchet had already removed the dent in Clank's head, straightened out his antenna, repaired his arm, and was currently working on his eye. There was a spark and Clank jumped. "Ow!" He interjected. "Careful!"  
"Well, if you would quit squirming, this wouldn't hurt as much." Said Ratchet. He put a new cover over Clank's socket and stepped back. "There." he said. "How's that new eye work'n for ya, pal?"  
Clank blinked at Ratchet a few times, then said "Not to well. Everything is in black and white."  
"Oops." Said Ratchet. "Sorry. Let me try again." He removed the cover over Clank's eye, disconnect two wires, and reconnected them in the opposite sockets before replacing the cover back on Clank's eye. "Now try."  
Clank's eyes widened, a look of surprise on his face. "Ratchet?" He said, looking over Ratchet's shoulder. "You have a twin brother?"  
Ratchet looked over where Clank was indicating, and saw nothing there. He sighed, and said. "Hang on. One more time."

As Ratchet continued with Clank's eye, there was a beeping sound, and the hologram of a Markazian female appeared on Ratchet's holoscreen. Talwyn Apogee looked terrified as she stared at Ratchet still working on Clank. "Hey, Tal." Said Ratchet, without looking up. "What's up?"  
"Ratchet!" Said Talwyn in an panicked voice. "I heard you and Clank were attacked!" Ratchet chuckled. "Wow. Word travels fast." He said. "Well, are you alright?" Talwyn urged. "We're fine, Tal." Said Ratchet moving away from Clank, who's eye was finally back to normal. "Just a teenager with an attitude. Although, she DID do a number on Clank here."  
"Do you have any idea who it was?" Said Talwyn. Ratchet squinted, trying to remember what had happened earlier that day. "She had said her name was Soara. And she kept rambling on about "Ridding the Galaxy of the last Lombax"  
Talwyn clapped her hand over her mouth. "Ratchet!" She said. "I- I want you and Clank over hear as soon as you can, so we can find out who this Soara is."  
"Uh, that's gonna be a problem, Tal." Said Ratchet, scratching the back of his head. "Our ship is kinda busted up right now."  
Talwyn sighed. "Please, Ratchet." She begged. "I can't lose you. Promise me you'll find a way to get over here as soon as possible."  
Ratchet smiled "Okay, Tal. Don't worry." He told her in a reassuring voice. "Clank and I will stop by the defense center to pick up a ship, and we'll at the space-station as soon as we can."  
Talwyn smiled at him. "Thanks, Ratchet. I'll see you two soon." Talwyn's hologram vanished from the screen. "Well." Ratchet said to Clank. "We'd better get going. Don't want to keep her waiting."

An hour later, the two heroes had set course for the Apogee Space-Station in the Solana battle-ship that they had borrowed from the Galactic guards. "What is our ETA, Clank?" Ratchet asked as he piloted the ship. "If we maintain out current speed," Clank answered. "Then we should arrive at the Apogee Space-Station in approximately six hours, fifty-two minutes, five seconds, and twenty-nine milli-"  
"Alright already." Ratchet interrupted. "I got the gist. So, maintain current speed." A cheesy grinned crossed his face as he spoke. "And I should be able to see Talwyn by tonight." Clank smirked at Ratchet's remark. "What?!" Said Ratchet defensively. "It's been a while. And you know long-distant relationships never work out."  
"True." Clank agreed. "So that means the two of you have made it official?"  
Ratchet's ears stood upright at the question, and his eyes widened. "Well, I- we- uh." He stuttered. Clank stared at Ratchet, with a "Well? Go on." Expression on his face. "Yes." Ratchet muttered quietly, blushing under his fur. Clank grinned. "Now, was that so hard to say?" He teased.  
"Watch it, Clank." Ratchet warned, pointing a finger at Clank. "I could have your wires crossed so you think you're a child's play-bot."  
"Perhaps." Said Clank. "But then, how would you fare defending the Galaxy with a 'Child's play-bot' strapped to your back?"  
"Uh." Said Ratchet, a loss at what to say next.

But their argument was interrupted when the ship's computer spoke. "Warning! Warning! Incoming enemy fighter!" It said. Ratchet looked at the monitor to see a single vessel approaching their ship. The fighter immediately started firing at their ship. Ratchet shot the ship to the side to dodge the fire, sending Clank, who was not strapped in his seat, flying into the windshield. "Hang on to something!" Ratchet shouted, as the enemy fighter fired again. Ratchet did a barrel-roll this time to avoid the fire, causing Clank to run into each side of the ship with a loud grunt each time he made contact with the ship. When the ship was upright again, Ratchet grabbed Clank, and strapped him in his seat with one hand. "Hold on." He said. "This is gonna get rough!" He did a loop around the ship so he was now behind it and fired back. The ship dove sideways and quickly shot back up. Then turned to face Ratchet and Clank, so there ships were nose-to-nose. Ratchet saw that familiar face inside the other ship, her violet eyes filled with rage. "It's Soara!" Ratchet shouted. "She does not give up easy!"  
"Ratchet, look out!" Said Clank. Soara had fired a rocket at their ship. "Whoa!" Ratchet quickly dove downward, away from the rocket, but it followed them. "It's a heat-seeker!" Said Ratchet. "Hang on!" He shot back up, but the rocket followed, gaining speed. "I can't shake it!" Said Ratchet. "It's gonna hit!"  
"Ratchet!" said Clank. "Head towards Soara's ship." Ratchet understood Clank's plan, and obeyed. He continued fly up towards Soara, and then, at the last second, did a U-turn away from her ship, causing the rocket to collide with the back of it. As the rocket exploded, Soara's ship began to free-fall down to the planet below.

"Good call, pal!" Said Ratchet, catching his breath. But celebration came to soon. Soara's ship shot another rocket at Ratchet and Clank's ship, which flew at top speed towards them. "LOOK OUT!" But too late. The rocket made contact, causing a deafening explosion. The cockpit sparked and flashed on impact. Ratchet slumped over in his chair, and moved no more. Then, as the sirens inside the ship began to blare, their ship too began to plummet down towards the planet below. "Ratchet! RATCHET!" Clank shouted. He threw his belt off and jumped on Ratchet, attempting regain his consciousness. "PLEASE, RATCHET! WAKE UP!" Clank pleaded. But Ratchet was still slumped in his seat. As they entered the atmosphere of the planet, the ship gained speed, plummeting faster and faster towards the ground. "Oh dear!" Said Clank as he looked out the window. The ground was only a few feet below. Clank quickly grabbed the controls, and pulled as hard as he could. The ship pulled up, but collided with the ground. The ship bounced a few times as Clank continued to pulled on the controls. Then the ship made contact with a tree, causing the ship to spin out of control. Clank was sent flying through the air and landed on Ratchet. Finally, as the ship was dragging through the ground, it began to slow down and came to a stop.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III:

Clank hopped off of Ratchet, who was still unconscious, and onto the dashboard to look out of the window. As the dust cloud formed by the crash settled, Clank saw what looked like a jungle planet. Not one that he was familiar with however. The trees around the ship were oddly shaped, and the leaves on top were a shade of maroon. There appeared to be no civilization in sight. All appeared to be deserted. As Clank continued to look at his surroundings he noticed a second ship. Soara's ship. It looked just as battered as Ratchet and Clank's ship. The wing was missing from the left side, and the engine was smoking. At first, Clank thought Soara might not have survived the crash, until the top of her ship opened up, and she climbed out. Soara landed clumsily on her feet, and surveyed her surroundings. Clank jumped off of the dashboard so not to be seen by Soara. What should he do? It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to take off. The ship was too badly damaged from the battle. Maybe the ship's blasters were still working. But there was a slim chance that they were. Plus, Soara was so close, Clank would risk taking Ratchet and himself out as well. Clank only had one other option. He first opened the ship's side door, then unstrapped Ratchet from his seat, and dragged him off the ship. He continued to drag Ratchet until they made it into a thick group of trees, not far from the crash sight.  
Clank poked his head out from behind the tree he and Ratchet were hiding behind. Soara had found their ship. She had her deactivated elctro-sword in her hands as she searched the ship, inside and out, for it's occupants. Ratchet gave a small groan as he started to regain his consciousness. Clank put his hand over Ratchet's mouth to hush him. Soara, realizing that Ratchet and Clank were no longer in their ship, had expanded her search around the forest, her sword in both hands, ready to strike. Ratchet slowly stood up, rubbing is head. "What is going-" He began, but Clank hushed him, putting his finger to his mouth. He gestured in Soara's direction, who was still searching for them. Understanding, Ratchet pulled out his blaster with one hand, and grabbed Clank's arm with the other. As Ratchet pulled him upward, Clank shot his arms and legs inside his body, and attached himself to Ratchet's back. Facing Soara's direction, Ratchet slowly edged backwards, keeping a tight grip on his blaster. Soara had her eyes to the ground. She seemed to be looking at something intently. Ratchet's heart jumped. She was looking at their footprints! "Uff!" Ratchet thought to himself. "This just never ends!" Clank suddenly poked Ratchet in the back. Ratchet turned to see what Clank wanted. He was pointing at another tree, one suitable for climbing. Understanding the gesture, Ratchet made for the tree, and jumped up to the lowest branch. He then started climbing up each branch until he and Clank were out of sight.  
Following the trail that Clank had made while dragging Ratchet into the group of trees in front of her, Soara pulled out her own blaster, so she had her electro-sword in her right hand, and her blaster in her left. She followed the trail until she got to the spot Clank had first hid behind.  
Soara held her blaster in front of her, ready to fire. Realizing no one was there, Soara relaxed her hand again, then, noticing the second part of the trail, continued to follow it. "Hang in there, Clank." Ratchet whispered softly. "Wait for it." Soara had reached the end of the trail, and was right under Ratchet's tree. "Wait for it." Ratchet repeated. Seeing no other part of the trail, Soara instinctively looked up into the tree. "Now!' Ratchet jumped out of the tree in Soara's direction, who, startled by Ratchet's shout, raised her blaster to him. Before Ratchet hit the ground, he kicked Soara's blaster out of her hand, then, landing gracefully in front of her, kicked her in the side, knocking her back. Instead of falling over, Soara landed on one hand, pushed herself up, and flipped over, so she did a one-handed cart-wheel. Facing Ratchet, she then activated her electro-sword as Ratchet pulled out his omniwrench. "You really are quite a sport, Lombax!" Soara jeered. "I will be quite bored once I have finished with you."  
"Sorry!" Said Ratchet. "Not gonna happen!" He lunged at Soara, and swung his wrench. Soara blocked it, causing a flash of sparks around them. Soara bent down and swept Ratchet's legs out from under him. Ratchet fell, taking care to land on his side so not to squish Clank. Soara made to jab her electro-sword into Ratchet's side, but he rolled out of the way just in time. He could actually feel the electricity from the sword as it penetrated the ground. Soara pulled her sword out of the ground while Ratchet got back up on his feet. With a roar of rage, Soara flipped the switch on the hilt of her sword, so the sparks around the blade grew stronger, and the humming noise grew louder. She did a front flip, landed right in front of Ratchet, and struck. As Ratchet blocked this attack, he could feel the electricity from the sword shock his body, so his fur actually stood on end. Soara pushed down on Ratchet's wrench with her sword. Ratchet felt his knees buckling, but kept himself up. Though his body was telling him otherwise, Ratchet refused to let go of his wrench, even as he felt the electricity continue to course through his body. He could not give up, even though his entire body was in agony, and he could feel himself weakening, he could not let Soara win!  
"Don't move!" Came an unfamiliar voice. Soara eased off Ratchet, who fell on his knees, breathing heavily, and shaking violently, relieved that the electric currents were leaving him. Surrounding Soara and Ratchet were about fifteen robot pirates, all with blasters pointing at them. Soara glared, and made to throw her electro-sword at their leader. "I wouldn't do that, missy!" Said the leader. "Fifteen shots will penetrate your pretty skin before your stroke fell!" Soara slowly lowered her sword and deactivated it, still glaring at the pirates. The group formed a tight circle. Three of them grabbed ahold of Soara and took her sword out of her hand, who punched, and kicked as hard as she could. One of the pirates holding her put a large knife to her neck, and she stopped struggling. Three more pirates grabbed ahold of Ratchet, who was still too weak to fight back. "Search 'em!" Commanded the leader. His followers obeyed. The pirates that weren't holding Ratchet and Soara started rummaging through their pockets, and Soara's backpack. "What kind of robot is this?" Said one of the pirates, holding Clank by one leg. "This thing is to small even to be a service bot!" Ratchet struggled to get free, but was still too weak. "Let him go!" He commanded. "He's mine!" The pirates laughed at Ratchet. The one holding Clank stuffed him into a large brown sack. "Anything good, lads?" Asked the pirate leader. "Not yet sir." Replied one pirate, rummaging his hand through Soara's bag. "Just some gravity cells, a couple of grenades, some blaster ammo, and a- OUCH!" The pirate removed his hand from Soara's bag. What looked like a bear-trapped had attached itself to the pirates hand. Soara snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes. The pirate captain walked over to her, and slapped her across the face. Soara gave a short shout as the metal hand made contact with her face. She struggled against the pirates holding her, until then one with then knife to her throat tightened his grip. "You'll pay for that one, missy." Said the captain, as his follower struggled to get the bear-trap off of him. "No on makes a fool out of my crew."  
"Oh, you don't need me to do that." Said Soara. "They look pretty foolish on their own." She watched as the one with the bear-trap smacked himself in the face, and toppled over. "Very funny, girly." Said the captain. "We'll see how witty you are when we're through with you. Take 'em back to our ship, mates!" The pirates all laughed as they force Ratchet and Soara through the forest. Though the one with the knife kept tightening his grip around Soara's neck, she kept struggling to break free. The pirates holding Ratchet were half dragging him. He didn't know what was going to happen to them, but he knew that if he didn't regain his strength soon, he and Clank would die on the miserable planet surrounded by pirates. And Ratchet would never see Talwyn again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Is the anticipation building up? I know it is for me. Let's continue on.

Still being held captive by the pirates, Ratchet and Soara continued to be dragged through the forest planet they longed to leave. Ratchet was starting to feel better after being shocked by Soara's electro-sword, and the pirates noticed too. As Ratchet started struggling harder to break free, the pirates tightened there hold on him. "Knock it off!" The pirate captain shouted, smacking Ratchet in the face. "Resistance will only make matters worse!" Soara longed for the pirate, still holding his knife to her neck, to loosen his grip. She was afraid that if she lost her footing, or is the pirates turned unexpectedly, or if she so much as sneezed, the knife would cut into her neck, and possibly slit her throat. Clank was not quiet either. The sack, that he was still trapped in, swung around in the hands of the pirate holding it, and muffled shouts could be heard. As they walked on, the pirates looked over the treasures that they had taken from Ratchet and Soara. One swung Ratchet's omniwrench around foolishly, while two more fought over Soara's gravity-pack.  
"How do you get this bloom'n thing to work?" Said one pirate, holding Soara's electro-sword like a rifle. "Idiot!" Interjected Soara. "You're holding it wrong!" The pirate with her sword stopped and looked at her. "Oh yeah?" He said. "Then how DO you hold it, pretty." Soara smiled. "Long-end down." She replied. The pirate looked at the sword, then turned it around, so he was holding it upside-down by the blade. "You mean like this." He asked Soara. Soara's smile widened. "Exactly." She said. "And do you know how to turn it on?" She asked. The pirate looked puzzled at her. "Why, no." He said "How do ya?"  
"Well." Soara said. Ratchet looked at her with a grimace. "What is she doing?" He thought to himself. "We're being held prisoner, and she's showing these imbeciles how to- wait." He then understood. Soara had a trick up her sleeve. "How to out-smart stupid pirates."  
"Oh." Ratchet thought to himself. "You see that switched up top?" Soara continued. The pirate looked at the switch on the hilt of her sword. "Why, yes I do!" Said the pirate. "Well, then." said Soara. "You turn it all the way around." The pirate obeyed without giving it a second thought. "You mean like this?" He turned the electro-sword on to full power, so that the electric currents were so strong, he, and several of the pirates around him actually exploded.  
At the sight of what had just happened, the remaining pirates all shouted in fear and anger. The one holding the knife to Soara's neck finally loosened his grip. Soara seized the opportunity by grabbing the pirates arm, twisting it so he dropped his knife, caught the knife with her free hand, flipped around, so she was now behind him, and decapitated him with his knife. Soara then threw the now sparking head at two other pirates, who had ran over to aid their comrade, and both toppled over. "Stop her!" Shouted the captain. "Kill her!" Soara kicked up her electro-sword with her foot, caught it, and turned down the voltage. She then used it to slice down two more pirates who ran at her. Ratchet saw Soara run at him, preparing to strike. He covered his eyes, waiting for the final blow, that Soara wanted so desperately, to come. But instead, he felt the pirates holding him let go. Ratchet opened his eyes to see the pirates lying in pieces at his feet, and Soara's free hand outstretched to him. "Well?" Said Soara impatiently. "You going to take it or not?" Hesitating, Ratchet wondered what would happen if he took Soara's hand. Would she slice Ratchet's hand off, maybe cuff it? With the six remaining pirates running at them, Ratchet decided to take Soara's hand. Keeping a tight grip on Ratchet's hand, Soara pulled him away from the angry pirates, kicking up Ratchet's fallen omniwrench with her foot, and tossed it to him without looking at him, as she passed it.  
Barely making any distance between themselves and the pirates, Ratchet let go of Soara's hand. She stopped. "What do you think you are doing?!" She said angrily, as Ratchet ran back towards the pirates. "I'm not going anywhere!" He shouted back at her. "Not without Clank!" Soara shouted in frustration. "Ah! For crying out loud!" She shouted. Ratchet dodged one pirated, who swung a long knife at him, knocked over the captain, and went straight for the one still holding Clank in the sack. Ratchet jumped, did a graceful spin, and brought down his omniwrench right on top of the pirate, breaking him in two. Ratchet then grabbed the sack, and ran back towards Soara, who surprisingly waited for him. The five remaining pirates chased after them. As Ratchet and Soara ran through the jungle, they heard blaster fire behind them. They ducked, but continued running. The fire from one of the pirates blaster whizzed past Ratchet, that he could actually feel it's heat. He thought it might have actually singed his fur. He and Soara continued running, even when they had not breath left. Not too far behind Ratchet, Soara looked back to see, how much distance they had put between themselves and the pirates. She could no longer see them, but the sounds of there battle-cries and stomping feet still filled the air. "Soara took that to mean that it was not time to slow down yet.  
They seemed to run on for hours until they no longer heard the pirates. The two of them finally stopped to catch their breath, breathing heavily. It was finally quite enough for Ratchet to hear the muffled yells coming from the sack that he was still holding. "Oh, Clank!" He said, reaching his hand in, and pulling Clank out. "Sorry about that, pal." Said Ratchet, setting Clank down. "You okay?" Clank tilted his head back and forth, as if to get a kink out of his neck. "Yes." He said. "I am fine." He noticed Soara. "Look out, Ratchet !" Clank shouted, moving between Ratchet and Soara. "Run! I will hold her off!" Soara rolled her eyes as Ratchet held Clank back. "Woah. Hold on there, Clank." Said Ratchet. "It's fine. Soara helped us escape the pirates." Ratchet turned to look at Soara, glaring at her. "Although, I can't seem to figure out why." Soara shrugged. Ratchet and Clank stared intently at Soara. "I think you owe us an explanation, Soara! Why are you trying to kill us?"  
"I was assigned to." Said Soara. "My employer, Captain Telther, was hired not to long back, by the last of Emperor Tachyon's supporters, to kill the Galaxy's last Lombax. You" Ratchet folded his arms, and stared at Soara. "Go on." He said. Soara sighed deeply. Maybe it's best if I started at the beginning.

Don't get bored on me. We're not done yet. Keep your eyes open for the next chapter. The best part has yet to come.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V:

"The EchelonVI." Soara began. "The Bogon Galaxy's finest, and most deadly group of bounty hunters. Hired for tasks that most will refuse. Trained from birth to be deadly assassins. My parents were Echelon's finest fighters, until they were killed seventeen years ago in the line of duty when I was just a baby. They have made it difficult to please my Commanding Officer, Captain Reigh Telther. When we were approached by Tachyon supporters to eliminate Ratchet, The Last Lombax, I had volunteered for the mission, in an attempt to please him. It had taken me three weeks to locate you on Kerwan." Soara paused for a moment. Noticing that Ratchet and Clank expected her to continue her story, she added. "And you pretty much know the rest." Ratchet chuckled. "Well, you sure know how to keep your monologues short." He said. Soara glared at him. "But, if you want so badly to please your boss by killing Ratchet," Said Clank. "Why did you save us from the pirates? You could have let them kill Ratchet for you."  
"Woah, easy, pal." Said Ratchet, thinking of Clank's last sentence. "Let's count our blessings." Soara shrugged at Clank. "I don't know." She said I guess there was no point to leaving you behind." Ratchet raised one eyebrow at her. "So, does that mean that now we have escaped the pirates, you are going to try and kill us again?" Soara smirked at him. "That doesn't seem very logical right now." She said. Clank glared at her, while Ratchet scoffed. "And why is that?" Said Ratchet. "The pirates wear you out."  
"No!" Said Soara defensively. "Think about it. You and Clank are stranded here, and _I _am stranded here. All _three_ of us are being targeted by those pirates. The _logical_ thing is to work together to find a way off this planet, and to not get killed by pirates in the proses." Ratchet and Clank thought about Soara's proposal. "And when we _do_ escape the planet?" Said Clank "Will you resume with your duty to kill Ratchet."  
"Good point, Clank." Said Ratchet, agreeingly. "And how to we know you won't kill us while we're still on this planet?" Soara smiled, and warm and kind look that Ratchet didn't know she was capable of. "Gentlemen." She said. "I may be a bounty hunter, but I am bound to my word. I will not harm either of you until we have left this planet. I will give you a two day head start." Ratchet looked concerningly at Soara, as if pitying her. "Why do you do this, Soara?" He asked her. "Why are you apart of Echelon if they are so terrible?"  
"It is who I am." Soara replied. "I was born into it, and I must die in it." Ratchet still looked at Soara with the same concerned expression. "But why?" He said. "Because you saved Clank and I, I can tell that you have potential for doing what is right, to do good. But you can't do that if you remain with Echelon. You could be a pretty good kid." Soara's smile vanished, she looked angry now. "I am not a kid!" She said. "And Echelon doesn't work with the ideas of good and bad. I know neither good or bad. I do as I am told!" She looked impatiently at him and Clank. "Will you accept my offer or not?" She said. "I could just leave you here to get captured again. And I very well won't be able the escape the pirates again. Think about it, I'm the lesser of two evils."  
"Ratchet?" Said Clank, before Ratchet could give Soara and answer. "May have a word with you alone?" The two of them walked out of hearing range from Soara, who impatiently had her arms crossed. "You cannot be seriously be considering helping her, are you?" Clank said to Ratchet. "Well, what else can we do?" Said Ratchet. "We can't just leave her here to get killed."  
"Well, why not?" Said Clank "She has tried to kill you _several_ times already." The sun was starting to set around them, it was beginning to get difficult to see as it became darker and darker. "Yeah." Ratchet continued. "I won't deny that. But she also saved us. She didn't have to do that. Look, Clank, I can see good in Soara. You may not see it, heck, I don't even think _She _see's it, but it's there. Maybe we can help her. Being born into something like that, I don't think you get to choose who you are. We should give Soara that chance." Clank sighed. "Perhaps you are right." He said. "Very well. I will help." Ratchet bent down to Clank's level, and pat him on the back. "Thanks pal." He said.  
The two of them walked back to Soara, who finally uncrossed her arms. "Alright." Said Ratchet. "You've got yourself a deal, but we have you word that you will not try to kill us?" Soara smiled again. "I promise." She said. "Now, that we've finished with that." Said Ratchet surveying their surroundings. "I think we should find a place to sleep until the sun comes back." Soara shrugged. "Here is as good a spot as any." She said. "The trees make a good shelter from rain, and it won't be easy for the pirates to see us. But I think we should slepp in shifts." Soara sat down in a pile of trees, And Ratchet picked a spot under one of the maroon trees, a few feet away from Soara. "What about gathering supplies?" Clank asked, sitting down next to Ratchet. "The pirates took all of our thing."  
"That's tomorrow's problem." Said Ratchet, stretching his arms, and giving a wide yawn. "It's too dark to do anything right now." Soara set her elctro-sword in her lap, then said. "Alight then. I will take first watch."  
"No!" Said Clank, giving Soara a very dirty look. "I will take the first watch. I do not require sleep." Soara shrugged, getting comfy in her pile of leaves. "Suite yourself." She said. "Don't say I didn't offer. Goodnight then." She rolled over and closed her eyes. "You okay with not shutting down for a few hours, pal?" Ratchet said looking at Clank. "You might need to save you energy. No knowing when you'll be "Goodnight, Ratchet." Said Clank, keeping a sharp eye on Soara, who was breathing deeply where she slept.

I would like some comments so I know how I am doing. I am not a very good writer. That's why I do fanfiction after all. There is already something to work with.


	6. Chapter 6

Gosh! I can't believe I'm still going! I didn't think I'd get this far! But I almost can't stop writing!

Chapter VI

The sun was starting to peak back into the forest where Ratchet and Soara slept. Clank had not taken his eyes off of Soara for eight hours. A couple of times though, he had started to doze off where he sat, but quickly shook himself awake. Though the sun was already over the horizon, there were dark clouds forming over the jungle, causing the sky to be overcast. Soara stirred, rustling her pile of leaves. Clank jumped to his feet, as if thinking Soara was about to attack him. Soara sat up and yawned, stretching her arms. She then stood up and brushed the leaves off of herself. She saw Clank staring at her, as if she might lunge. "Howdy." She said to him, giving Clank a mock salute. "Guess we should probably get going. You want to wake Sleeping Beauty over there?" She said, indicating Ratchet, who was slumped against his tree, snoring loudly, his mouth wide open. Still looking at Soara, Clank started to shake Ratchet, who mumbled a little in his sleep. Soara chuckled. "Ratchet." Said Clank impatiently. "It is time to wake up." Ratchet rolled over so that he was no longer sleeping against the tree, crossed his arms, and laid his head on them, using them as a pillow. "Just five more minutes, Talwyn." Ratchet mumbled in his sleep. Clank rolled his eyes, giving up. "Hang on." Said Soara, smiling. "Let me try." She picked up her electro-sword, switched it to the lowest voltage, walked over to Ratchet, and poked him with the tip of her sword. The shock caused Ratchet to give a shout of surprise, and sit up straight, now completely awake. "Who's Talwyn?" Soara asked, crouching down next to Ratchet. "What?" Said Ratchet, confused. Clank interrupted though. "Pardon me." He said. "But perhaps it would be better if we continued to get off of this planet." Soara stood up. "Right." She agreed. "I think we should head East."  
"No." Said Ratchet, disagreeingly, getting to his feet. "The trees thin out more to the North. If their is any civilization on this dump, they would more than likely have a settlement over there." Soara gave another mock salute. "Whatever you say, chief." She said. "Lead the way"  
Rolling his eyes, Ratchet picked up Clank, and attached him to his back. "Kid's got a bit of an attitude on her." He said quietly so only Clank could hear, walking in front of Soara, who followed close behind. "Now who does she remind you of?" Said Clank, looking behind him, to see Ratchet. "Uh, Qwark?" Said Ratchet. "I meant _you_." Said Clank, still looking behind him at Ratchet. "But do not forget that it was your idea to let her tag along."  
"You know." Soara began, glaring at Clank. "We Aqory (Soara's species) may have good hearing, but I am close enough to you, that I don't need to use it." Ratchet and Clank fell silent.  
As they walked on, the clouds above them grew darker, and there were flashes of lightening. "I believe it is going to rain." Said Clank, looking up. Soara gave Clank a fake look of surprise. "Wow! Really?" She Said sarcastically. "I was wondering what was with all the thunder."  
"Well, I don't know about the two of you." Said Ratchet, ignoring Soara. "But I don't really feel like getting soaked at the moment. Why don't we take shelter under that group of trees over there?"  
"We can't rest now!" Soara protested. "It's not even noon yet."  
"Alright." Said Ratchet, heading for the trees he had indicated. "You keep going. Let us know how that goes." Like a large bucket had been dumped down on top of them, big drops of rains began to fall down. Soara glared at Ratchet, as he sat down under a large friut tree, and took Clank off his back. Now soaking wet, Soara followed.  
"You hungry?" Ratchet asked Soara, pulling out his omniwrench. He threw his wrench up into the tree. As it came back down, bringing several pieces of the fruit with it, Ratchet grabbed his wrench with one hand, and a plump red juicy-looking piece of fruit with the other. He the tossed the fruit to Soara, who caught it with both hands. She smiled, as Ratchet picked up another piece of fruit off the ground and took a large bite out of it. "Thanks." Said Soara, before taking a bite out of her own fruit.  
As the rain continued to pour, Ratchet, Clank, and Soara remained under the shelter of the trees, enjoying their fruit. "So, Soara." Said Ratchet, his mouth full of fruit. "You seem like a jungle-smart kind of girl. You get stranded on strange planets often?" Soara scoffed. "Very funny." She said. "In Echelon, we are trained to adapt to our surroundings. "Adapt or die" is what Telther would tell me as a girl. I've been doing things like this since I could walk. Training often had us using only a blaster and our brains as tools."  
"Oh right." Said Ratchet. "You Aqory must have super good brains as well as your hearing."  
"Maybe. Aqory brains could rival with Lombax brains."  
"Well, I don't know. We Lombaxes are pretty smart."  
"Oh I bet you are." Said Soara, tossing the core of her fruit behind her. The rain was now lightly falling around them, and the splashing became quieter. "Looks like we're reaching the peak of the storm." Said Soara, washing the fruit juice off of her hands with the rain water dripping from the tree she was under. "We should keep going now." She Ratchet and Clank stood up and stretched. "Think we should take some of this fruit with us?" Ratchet asked. "Good idea." Said Soara, agreeing. "Wanna do that neat little trick with your wrench again?"  
"Wait." Said Clank, looking into the sky. "Do you hear that?" Soara did. There was a humming noise over the sound of the rain. "What is that?" She said, she and Ratchet looking into the sky too. Ratchet saw the source of the noise first. Over the top of the trees, a pirate ship was flying in their direction. The ship belonged to the pirates who has attacked Ratchet, Clank and Soara found day before. "They found us!" Ratchet shouted, grabbing Clank and putting him on his back. "Come on, we gotta get out of here!" He and Soara ran in the opposite direction of the pirate ship, which was gaining on them.  
Aboard the ship, the remaining pirates laughed at the sight of Ratchet and Soara running away from them. "Do not lose them this time!" Said the pirate captain. "They must pay for what they have done to out comrades! Fire the blasters at them!"  
"Aye, Captain!" Said one of the other pirates. "Fire in the hole!"  
Not daring to look back, Soara Ratchet ran through the jungle, away from the pirate ship. Water from the rain splashed in their faces as they pushed branches out of their path. Ratchet longed for his blaster. He hated running away, and giving his enemy the upper hand, and Soara felt the same way. Gunshots started coming from the ship's guns. Soara ducked down to avoid the fire as Ratchet ran in front of her. The ship fired at a tree in front of Ratchet and Soara, causing it to crash down in front of them. Without slowing down, Ratchet jumped, and did a front-flip over the tree, while Soara did a kind of dive, her hands landing on the tree first. She the pushed herself up and over the tree, and landed on her feet, so the whole motion was a front-hand-spring, and continued running.  
Ratchet and Soara stopped running when they came to the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of this cliff was a wide, deep river. There was a flash of lightening above them, followed by a crack of thunder. "Ratchet!" Clank shouted, still on Ratchet's back. "The are catching up!" He indicated the pirate ship, now right above them. "Can you swim?" Soara asked Ratchet, shouting over the roar of the pirate ships engine. "Of course I can swim!" Said Ratchet, speaking equally as loudly. "What do you think I-AAAAHHHHH!" Soara had grabbed ahold of Ratchet and threw him off of the cliff and into the river. She the jumped off the cliff herself and dove headfirst into the water.  
"This scum is getting on my nerves! Shouted the pirate captain, as he watched Ratchet and Soara disappear into the water. "Fire the plasma cannons!" His followers obeyed him, preparing to fire.  
Ratchet emerged from the water first, gasping for breath, trying to stay afloat with the currents crashing into him. "Clank!" He shouted. "Are you still there?!"  
"I am here, Ratchet!" Came Clank's voice from behind Ratchet's back. "But where is Soara?"  
"I'm here!" Came Soara's voice. She swam up to Ratchet, who sighed in relief. Suddenly, there was a bang from the pirate ship as a plasma cannon shot out, and raced towards Ratchet, Clank and Soara. "LOOK OUT!" Soara shouted. She and Ratchet dove in opposite directions under the water. As the cannon hit the water, it created a wave underneath. The underwater wave shoved Ratchet deeper into the water, causing his to crash into the rocks below. Pushing himself up, using the rock, Ratchet kicked back for the surface. Gasping, ratchet broke the surface, coughing. Soara, who had just reemerged as well, swam back to Ratchet. "We're screwed if we don't get out of here!" She shouted. "You're right." Ratchet agreed. "Let's head for shore." Another cannon hit the river, creating another wave, which picked up Ratchet and Soara, and pushed them towards the other side of the river. Ratchet, Clank and Soara screamed as they flew through the air, and landed in the dirt. "Well." Said Soara, pushing her hair out of her face, as Ratchet coughed the water out of his lunges. "That's _one_ way to do it." Ratchet go to his feet. The pirate moved in closer to them. There was another cliff in front of where Ratchet and Soara. It was there only way out. Soara! Start climbing!" Said Ratchet. He jumped up, grabbed ahold of one of the rocks, and started climbing. Soara followed, taking care to grab each rock that Ratchet had grabbed, and stepped where he had stepped.  
When Ratchet reached the top of the cliff, he rolled over onto his back, and sighed in relief. "Um, Ratchet?" Came Clank's muffled voice from under Ratchet. "Whoops! Sorry, pal." Said Ratchet, rolling on his side. Soara peaked up from the other side of the cliff, struggling to pull herself up. "Need a little help?" Ratchet asked, still laying on his side. "No." Said Soara, trying to find something to grab. "I cam handle my-" BANG! The pirate ship below had shot a plasma cannon at the cliff. With a scream of terror, Soara vanish as a large chunk fell off of the cliff "SOARA!" Ratchet shouted, standing up, and running to the spot where she fell. He looked down to see Soara a few feet down, clinging on to a rock with only one hand. The pirate ship shot another cannon at the cliff, causing more rocks to fall of. Clank jumped off of Ratchet so he could see what was happening, while Ratchet bent down, and extended his hand to Soara. "Here! Take my hand!" He said to her. Soara stretched her free hand to Ratchet's. As another cannon crashed into the cliff, the rock that Soara was hanging onto broke off. But her scream was cut short. Instead of plummeting to the bottom, Ratchet grabbed a hold of Soara's hand, and started to pull her up. The rocks from when the last cannon hi,t fell down on top of the pirate ship. The added weight was too much for the ship. It crashed down into the river below, and sank to the bottom. The chase was finally over.  
"Give me you other hand, Soara!" Said Ratchet, still struggling to pull Soara up. Soara grunted, as she swung her free hand up, Ratchet grabbed it, and pulled Soara up. He then drug her a ways, so the two of them were away from the cliff, and fell over, breathing heavily. Clank ran over aid Ratchet. "I'm fine, Clank." Said Ratchet, reassuring his best friend. "How about you, Soara?" Soara got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Why did you do that?" She asked Ratchet. "You could have been killed! You could have just left me. and you would finally be free!" Ratchet got to his own feet, and smiled. "Because I made my own choice." He said. "I chose to do good. Just like _you _can choose Soara, just like you can choose to leave Echelon if you truly wanted." Soara was mesmerized. "Come on." Said Ratchet. It's almost dark, we should find a place to set up a fire. Ratchet and Clank walk on, but Soara still stood there, thinking about what Ratchet had said. "Make your own decision. Do what is good." what if Ratchet was telling the truth? What if Soara could choose to be good?

Whew! This chapter took me four hours! I do hope it was worth it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

The rain had picked up again. The sun had set once more. And Ratchet, Clank, and Soara had found a warm and dry cave to stay the night. Ratchet was striking two stones together over a pile of wood that he and Soara had gathered earlier, trying. Soara was off to side by the wall of the cave. She had her deactivated elctro-sword out, and was practicing several of her techniques with it. Clank watched as she swung her blade around, grunting with each air-strike. "You have quite some skill, Soara.' Said Clank, as Soara did an aerial, followed by a downward strike into the ground with a loud grunt. Blushing, Soara stood up, her sword in one hand. "Thanks, Clank." She replied. "I should, anyway. I've been using this thing long enough." She indicated her sword. "If I didn't have any skills by now, I'd have some serious issues." Ratchet had lit the pile of wood on fire, and was now blowing, to get the fire to grow. He then sat back, so not to burn himself. "So." He said, speaking to Soara. "Were your parents swordsmen like you, or is that just your own trait?" Soara lowered her sword. "Well, I Don't really know." She said. "Telther never told me about them as a child. And I don't remember them at all." Ratchet sighed, closing his eyes. "Yeah." He said. "I can relate to that. I never knew my parents either." He looked back up at Soara. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."  
"Hey. No big deal." Said Soara, resuming swinging her sword. "I haven't let it get to me in years." Ratchet watched Soara for a few more minutes, before standing up and saying "Why don't you show me a couple of your moves you got there? Just to pass the time." Soara smiled at him. "Oh, I don't know, Ratchet." She said. "You already have some pretty killer skills of your own. Don't think I want to add to them."  
"Aw, come on." Said Ratchet, taking out his omniwrench. "You're not scared of me, are ya." Soara scoffed. "No. of course not." Ratchet stood next to her and copied her stance. Soara then lunged forward, jabbing with her sword. Ratchet copied, swinging his wrench downward. "No." Said Soara, watching Ratchet. "You want to do more of a stab. _Before_ you slice your opponent."  
"Well, I can't do much stabbing with this thing." Said Ratchet, indicating his wrench. Soara shrugged. "You could still do it to disorient your opponent." She said. "That way they won't be able to block when you strike again." Soara repeated the movement as Ratchet copied. They both did an outward strike, stepped forward, spun around, and did a downward strike. "You've been paying attention to my movements when we fought." Said Soara, who was watching Ratchet. "Well. you are kind of predictable." Ratchet replied. Soara looked offended, but said nothing. She sheathed her sword and sat down on the cave floor, away from the fire. "I didn't mean that, Soara." Said Ratchet, sitting down next to her. "I just meant-"  
"You don't have to say anything." Said Soara quietly. "Telther has always said the same thing. I guess it's true then." Ratchet smiled kindly at her. "You're still a great fighter." He said. "And you really are a good kid." Soara glared at him from his last word. "I mean young woman." Ratchet corrected himself. Soara's glare was replaced by a warm smile. Ratchet yawned, getting to his feet and walking over next to Clank, sitting down net to him. "Well." Said Ratchet. "I'm beat. Guess I'm going to crash now."  
"I believe I should shut down for a few hours, as well." Said Clank. Soara blinked at him. "You're actually feeling okay sleeping around me?" She said. "You're not afraid I'm going to attack in your sleep." Clank smiled. "I believe, Soara, that if you were going to kill us, you would have done so before, when you had the opportunity." Ratchet and Soara both smiled at Clank, before Ratchet leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. Soara laid down as well, using her arms as a pillow. "Well, goodnight then." She said. "Goodnight, Soara." Said Clank. The lights in his eyes went out, and he was motionless. The whole cave was quiet, and the light of the fire danced peacefully around them. Things seemed peaceful.  
Late in the night, the storm outside grew. The wind blew against the maroon trees outside of the cave. There was a flash of lightening, followed by a flash of thunder. Soara awoke with a start, not from the storm, but from the images in her head. Horrific visions either of her teammates from the EchelonVI killing her, or of her killing Ratchet. Soara sat up, burying her face in her hands. She had never felt this way before. She had never had real friends. She may have known her Echelon teammates since birth, but she had no real feelings for them like what she had for Ratchet and Clank. Where were these emotions coming from? Did it have to do with when Ratchet saved Soara, or had she felt it before then?  
There was a faint beeping noise coming from Soara's watch on her hand. She didn't even realize she still had it. She pushed one of the small buttons on the side of the watch to activate it. Captain Reigh Telther's face appeared in the screen of Soara's com-watch. He was an Aqory like Soara. He too had blood-red hair, Pale skin, and the same cat-slit pupils in his eyes. But instead of violet eyes, like Soara, Telther's eyes were the exacted same shade of green as an emerald stone. "Captain?" Said Soara, surprised, keeping her voice down so not to wake Ratchet and Clank. "I- uh- how are-?" Soara stuttered, unsure of what to say. Telther interrupted her though. "Soara!" He began. "You are way over due! My patients in you have grown _dangerously _thin! Have you destroyed the Lombax or not?!" Soara cleared her throat. "Sir?" She began. "There were complications. I haven't killed Ratchet yet. I have been trapped on this unknown planet with him for the past few days, and temporarily had to form an alliance." Telther smiled at Soara. An evil, twisted smile. "Unknown planet?" He repeated. "My dear Soara. Your com-watch picked up your location days ago. We know that you are on planet Vitholon. The lone planet between the Solana and the Polaris Galaxies. And I, and the rest of Echelon are on our way now." Soara's heart jumped. "You- you're on your way here?" She said. "Indeed." Said Telther. "And right now Soara, you are facing execution for treason against the EchelonVI."  
"What?!" Said Soara, not keeping her voice down. "You can't-"  
"However." Telther continued, cutting Soara off. "I am willing to pardon your crimes forever." Soara stared intently at her com-watch. "IF." Telther continued. "You first complete your mission, and destroy Ratchet and Clank once and for all." The feeling Soara felt in her brain was like she had just shocked herself with her own electro-sword. It was her, or Ratchet. "I-" She said to Telther. "I- I understand, master." She said. "Good." Said Telther. "We shall arrive by morning. You have until then to get the job done. Telther out." Telther vanished from the screen of Soara's com-watch. All was quiet again. The Affection Soara had felt for Ratchet had suddenly vanished, replaced by her old desire to kill him. But she did not move. She stared at the place where Ratchet and Clank slept. She could do it now and get it over with. But still she did not move. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

Soara never went back to sleep. As the sun once again crept back through the trees, she starred blinklessly at Ratchet and Clank. "How should I do it?" She was saying to herself. "I could just use my sword. But would it be more humane to do it activated or deactivated? And if so, which settings do I put it on? And which should I strike first?" She thought for a moment, then answered herself. "Probably Clank. If he senses anything, he will alert Ratchet." The storm had at last dissipated, so the sun was shining brightly into the mouth of the cave. "Better do it now." Soara told herself. She stood up, and walked over to where Ratchet and Clank were asleep. Ratchet was still leaning against the cave wall, while Clank was slumped over half leaning on the wall, half leaning on Ratchet. "I could probably take them both out with one blow. Soara said to herself. She unsheathed her sword. Without activating it, she raised it above her, preparing to strike. "Come on!" Said a voice inside Soara's head. "Do it! What are you waiting for?!"  
"I- I CAN'T!" Soara answered herself. "Pathetic!" Answered the first voice. "You've allowed this Lombax to corrupt you! He has made you soft, and weak!"  
"I AM NOT WEAK!" Soara shouted allowed. Ratchet jumped and gave a startled grunt. Before he opened his eyes, Soara put he sword back in it's sheath, and lunged back to the spot she had been sleeping. Ratchet yawned and opened his eyes. "Oh I'm sorry." He said sleepily. "You say something, Soara?" Soara gave a guilty grin. "Nope." She said. "Nothing." The lights in Clank's eyes turned back on as he regained his consciousness. "Morning, pal." Said Ratchet, acknowledging Clank. They both got to there feet. "Let's get going." Said Ratchet, Stretching his arms. "I can't stand to be on this rock for one more day." Soara didn't move. She stared at the ground where she sat. "You feeling okay, Soara?" Ratchet asked her. Without looking at him, Soara answered by saying. "I don't know. I guess I have a lot on my mind." She sighed deeply, finally looking up. "Ratchet." She said. "There is something I need to-" She broke off. Ratchet looked at her. "Yeah?" He said. Soara resumed looking at the ground. "I think we should wait before moving on." She said. "We don't even know where we are going. If there is any settlement here. If we continue to run around like this, it could do more harm then good." There was a pause. "Uh." Said Ratchet, oddly. "Okay, then?"  
"Perhaps Soara has a point." Said Clank. "Well, maybe." Said Ratchet, shrugging. "But what exactly will we do in the mean time."  
"Um." Said Soara, thinking. "Survey? Maybe?" She said. "Perhaps use the surrounding trees. If we climb high enough, we could possibly see which way we _should_ go."  
"Well. Okay then." Said Ratchet attaching Clank to his back. "Shouldn't take too long."  
"Yeah." Said the voice inside Soara's head. "But just long enough."  
Ratchet left the cave, immediately jumped into the nearest tree, and began to climb. Soara slowly walked out of the cave herself. She however didn't do the same as Ratchet. She had no intention of finding a settlement. Instead, she leaned up against the outside wall of the cave with her head down, and her arms crossed. "See anything in you direction, pal?" Ratchet asked, addressing Clank. "Nothing but trees stretching for miles." Clank replied. "Yeah. Same here." Said Ratchet. "Nothing but a stretch of maroon as far as the eye can see." He made to climb out of the tree. "That seemed relatively pointless." Ratchet then jumped out of the tree, landing on his feet. He saw Soara leaning against the cave. "You see anything up there, Soara?" He asked. Soara slowly shook her head. "Didn't even go up." She said quietly. Ratchet looked concerningly at her as Clank jumped off his back. "Soara?" He said to her. "What is wrong? You've been acting strange all morning."  
"Ratchet!" Said Soara suddenly, unable to contain it anymore. She looked up at him, a strange look on her face. "I- Echelon knows where we are. They are on their way here." Ratchet looked at Soara half surprised, half confused. "What?" He said. "But how did they-" The look on Soara's face answered Ratchet's question before he finished. "You!" He shouted. "You've been using us from the beginning, haven't you?"  
"No"! Said Soara. "It's not like that!"  
"Ratchet." Said Clank. "Perhaps we should give Soara a chance to explain."  
"Explain?!" Ratchet Repeated, practically shouting. "Don't you get it Clank?! After Soara's ship crashed, Echelon wouldn't recue her unless she offered us as tribute! She just needed to buy time for her _friends _to get here." Soara closed her eyes and bit her lip. "Ratchet." She said in a cracked voice. "I am so sorry."  
"Save it, Soara!" Said Ratchet putting up a hand. "I thought you changed! I thought you were our friend!"  
"But I AM!" Said Soara. "I'm giving you the opportunity to get out of here before-" There was a rumble over there heads. Everyone looked up to see a single vessel, preparing to land not far from their location. "They are here." Said Soara. "Ratchet, listen to me. You and Clank have to get out of here or they will kill you." Ratchet grabbed Clank's hand, who was looking at Soara with a disbelieving look. "Come on, Clank." Said Ratchet, putting Clank back on his back. "Let's go." Giving Soara one last look of deepest loathing, Ratchet turned in the opposite direction and ran through the trees and out of site.  
Soara didn't know how long she stared at the place Ratchet and Clank vanished, but she then heard a bit of commotion behind her. Thinking maybe Ratchet had just ran in a giant circle, Soara turned around to see, not Ratchet, but her fellow members of the EchelonVI. Captain Telther, Dr Magellanic, a Markazian male, and the second in command. Also Andromeda, the large Valkyrie, and the twin Cazars, Reese and Shawn Sagittarius. "You have finally come." Said Soara, smiling at her teammates. "I was wondering."  
"Spare us, Soara." Said Magellanic impatiently. "You know why we are here. Have you done it? Where is the Lombax?"  
"Gone." Said Soara. "He has escaped."  
"Escaped?!" Repeated Telther, flaring up. "Soara! You- you incompetent good for nothing FOOL! How could you let a single Lombax elude you? Come on!" He gestured to the other four bounty hunters. "We have to hunt that Lombax done and finish him ourselves!"  
"I cannot let you do that, Telther!" Said Soara, blocking the path that Ratchet had gone through. The members of Echelon looked at Soara. Telther and Magellanic looked livid, while the others laughed jeeringly. "No?" Said Telther. "I'm warning you Soara! If you defend this Lombax, and get in the way of our bounty, we will be forced to kill you too!"  
"Then so be it." Said Soara, unsheathing her sword. "Because if you want Ratchet, you will have to get through me first!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

"You have made your choice, traitor!" Telther was saying to Soara. "But all traitors must perish. Echelon! Let's give this treacherous filth what she deserves!" The five other bounty hunters laughed, pulling out their weapons. Magellanic and Andromeda pulled out a sword, not electric like Soara's though, Reese pulled out a mace, and his sister, Shawn, a elctro-whip. Soara stood her ground, preparing to fight. There was a rustle from the trees above Soara, and Ratchet jumped down next to her, his omniwrench in his hand, and Clank still on his back. "Ratchet?!" Said Soara. "What are you doing here? I told you to get out! This is my problem!"  
"Didn't get very far." Said Ratchet, looking at Soara. "Actually overheard what you said to your old buddies here. Thought you'd like a hand." Soara smiled. "Well, if you're offering." She said. "Very well." Said Telther. "This make our job easier. Andromeda, Magellanic! Finish them!" While the others stood ready, Andromeda went for Soara, while Magellanic went at Ratchet, both swinging there swords at their opponents. Ratchet ducked Magellanic's attack and swung his wrench back up at him. The wrench smacked Magellanic in the face, but, without hesitating from the strike, swung back at Ratchet. Ratchet had to jump backwards to avoid the sword from slicing his stomach. Magellanic elbowed Ratchet in the head. As Ratchet fell over, Clank fell off of his back, landing in front of Magellanic. "The price on your head is slim, little bot." Said Magellanic, raising his sword to Clank, who raised an arm above his head to block the attack. "Uh, Magellanic? I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said Soara, speaking as she was locked in a sword-clash with Andromeda. "Ratchet's really fond of- damn." Ratchet had lunged at Magellanic with a roar of rage, and swung his wrench directly into Magellanic's head, who landed a few feet from where Ratchet had hit him, now unconscious. Ratchet then picked up Clank and placed him back on his back.  
"Give it up, Soara!" Andromeda was saying to Soara, still locked sword-to-sword. "You can't out of this."  
"Oh really?" Said Soara. "Not even if I do this?" She flipped her electro-sword on to full blast. The voltage ran from one sword into the other, and through Andromeda who, with a shout of pain, exploded as the electricity coursed through her. "Sorry Andromeda." Said Soara, deactivating her sword. "It's nothing against you." There was a loud cracking sound. Soara turned in the direction on the noise just in time for Shawn's electro-whip to make contact with Soara, who was sent flying though the air, with a shout of pain. Soara landed in the dirt by Ratchet, who bent down next to her to aid her. But Soara groaned and stirred feebly, unable to move. Telther and Reese watched as Shawn pulled out a second whip, and activated it. Ratchet ran from Soara as Shawn made to swing both whips at him. Ratchet dodged by doing a summer-sault away from the whips. As the whips made contact with the ground, there was a loud cracking sound, followed by a flash of sparks. Shawn swung both whips above her head and down at Ratchet, who did a back-hand-spring away. Getting frustrated, Shawn swung her whips from the inside-out. Ratchet dropped to the ground this time, narrowly missing this time. With a shout of frustration, Shawn swung her whips inward. This time the whips missed Ratchet, and repeatedly wrapped themselves around Shawn's body. Shawn wretched and gagged as the electricity from her own whips shocked her entire body, causing sparks and smoke to emanate from Shawn. Ratchet averted his eye so not to see the horrific sight. Telther watched in terror as Shawn dropped to the ground, shaking violently as if having a seizure. "SHAWN!" Reese had run forward, deactivated Shawn's whips, then untangled her. "Shawn?" Reese held Shawn in his arms, shaking her to get her attention. But Shawn stared blinklessly at Reese. "You- you killed her." Reese said, getting to his feet, and looking at Ratchet. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY BABY SISTER!" Taking his mace, Reese ran at Ratchet preparing to strike.  
Soara slowly got to her feet, still disoriented from the shock. She then saw Reese attacking Ratchet, swinging crazily at Ratchet, who could barely block. "Rese, Stop!" Soara shouted. Before she could run to help, Telther had grabbed her from behind, taking both of her hands. "Oh no you don't!" Said Telther as Soara struggled to get free. "We will watch together as your beloved Lombax perishes." Soara pulled her arms forward, and lunged back into Telther. There heads collided, knocking Telther out, who let go of Soara. Reese struck Ratchet with his mace in the stomach. Ratchet fell on top of Clank, as Reese rose his mace to strike again. "Reese NO!" Soara had put herself between Ratchet and Reese, practically on top of Ratchet. Reese froze as he saw Soara get in the middle. "Soara." Said Reese. "Get out of the way! I have to do this!" Soara stood up, and gently took Reese's mace out of his hand. Reese took Soara's hand lovingly. "I-" He said. "I Can't let him-"  
"I know, Reese." Said Soara, kindly. The two leaned in to kiss. BAM! Soara instead had punched Reese in his head, knocking him into the ground unconscious. "Don't know what I ever saw in him." Said Soara, looking at Ratchet, who was gapping at her. Soara then extended her hand, which he took. As the pressure was relived off of him, Clank collapsed to the ground. "Clank, are you okay?" Said Ratchet. "Oh yeah." Said Clank, getting to his feet. "But that one hurt." Soara and Ratchet chuckled. "It's finally over." Said Soara. "Not yet." Said Ratchet. "We still need to get off of this miserable rock." Soara smiled, looking at the unconscious members of Echelon. "You know." She said. "We could always take their ship." Her smile faded from her face. "What's going to happen to me, though." She said. "Where I am going to go, what I am going to do." Ratchet and Clank exchanged smiles, apparently sharing the same idea. "Well." Said Clank. "We don't know what's going to happen, but in the mean time, you could come with us."  
"Really?" Said Soara. "You're okay with that after all I have done?"  
"Well, I can't garentee that my girl friend won't try to maim you for trying to kill us." Soara laughed "I guess I have it coming. Alright then. let's get out of here."  
Telther groaned as her got to his feet. There was a rumble over head as Telther saw his ship take off with Ratchet, Clank and Soara inside. "This isn't over, Soara!" Said Telther, Enraged. "When I get out of here, I will eliminate you! And your precious Lombax as well!

THE END  
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


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